This is going to be a little different format because if I am gauging the Trojansphere correctly, people are reacting poorly to this loss. A lot of heat coming towards coach Lane Kiffin, coming towards our “arrogance” and penalties, our lack of discipline and our repeated playing down to opponents.

I want to be clear with everyone what the point of all of this is. First, the game.

I hate losing as much as the next bourbon drinking web legend, but I’ll admit it is easier to lose in Maui when you are drinking tiki mixtures designed to confuse alcohol for fruit juice. Of course, as I tweeted, the game was not the only disaster of the day. That night, the earthquake off B.C. apparently created a green tsunami laser headed straight for Maui and they literally cut water to the Four Seasons, evacuations went nuts and worst of all, our Trojan (and non Trojan) brothers and sisters were prepping for Sandy back east. The universe is so pissed the Oregon v USC game lost some luster.

The tsunami was a fauxnami, we all lived and then I was left to think about this loss. Bottomline, you never win a football game when you cough the ball up five times. It’s so many points left on the board, field position given up and momentum swinging the wrong way. I care about the penalties, but in the end, I’ve seen us win games where we were penalty monsters. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a team win after coughing it up five times.

What’s killing me, Arrogant Nation, is that we’re confusing the meaning of arrogance. People are blaming arrogance for the reason we lost. Turning the ball over five times is the reason we lost. I know I like to have fun on here, but at the core sports level, I fear we’re missing the point. My point. The reason I started this feature on the blog.

The purpose of Arrogant Nation was to learn to enjoy the games no matter what. Yes, that started when everyone felt sick over sanctions, but it is the same thing when people are sick over a lost national title shot. This team was in the exact same position last year. A two loss team heading into an Oregon game no one thought we were going to win.

The season ended and we were back in the AP top 10 and everyone was freaking out. Some even said the need for this blog was gone. Need I remind you all we get to play undefeated Oregon next week. We get to play undefeated Notre Dame soon. We get to play UCLA. We’re going to a bowl game. How quickly you forget the beauty of college football. Every game is a championship. That was the point of this. Even without the reward of a bowl game, last year was one of the best USC seasons I can remember. I am calling my brothers and sisters out. Don’t let the “title” ruin what can still be an epic conclusion.

We’re Trojans. The point was to fight even past the point of us being ruled dead. The point is to tip our hat to Arizona knowing full well (as they do) we’ll beat them more often than they beat us… forever.

That’s what Oregon hates about us. They hate that it will take decades and decades of dominance for their culture to transition from flash to tradition. Maybe it will. But we get the opportunity to say the road still goes through our house. Saturday in fact.

The arrogance is that no matter what we know the sun never sets on the Trojan family. Not in the 90s. Not ever. The media spends too much time hyping things up that don’t need hype. Oregon has to play USC this weekend. We get a chance to royally screw Notre Dame. We still have bears to kill.

Anyone who isn’t jacked up still needs to check the name of the school on their diploma. Worry about a loss to Arizona? I’ll have another mai tai, please.

People. Hats off to Zona. We cut off enough fingers and toes to give them a chance to sneak one out. It happens to everyone. Even us. But we’re Trojans which means that now we bring hell to Oregon. It’s easy to question a coach after a bad loss. It’s easy to get down on a team when you built them up. What’s hard is ignoring the bullshit and propelling your team to win the Pac 12 South and find that way into the Rose Bowl, our home.

Last year we were a 2 loss team that won the game on the schedule people thought we’d lose. No reason we can’t do that again. Playing like a champion starts with believing you are one. We owe Matty Trojan and Robert Woods and TJ and Marqise and Khaled and Predator Drone to remember being a Trojan means if your right arm gets cut off, fight with your left.

That’s all for today. I have a big news this week. I’ll talk to you for the AGP of a game everyone has written us off in. Are you going to sit around and blame penalties and coaching or are you going to sharpen your swords and create the mood for battle.

I’d spend the week thinking of how we get in the Ducks’ heads and flip their “disappointment that a win over us doesn’t look as good now” into a feeling of “shit, we ended up on their sword two years in a row”.

Mr. Bearfighter, just got through the first two paragraphs and yes, arrogance, in our case, is that we know we are winners not that we play with fast and loose.

Also, I’m looking forward to Oregon! We completely shut down the scoring machine of Arizona. 16pts given to them on turnovers, take that away and they are Cal. So we know we have the ability to shut down a fast offensive machine just like we did last year against Oregon. Just really sucks that all our mistakes led to an Arizona win… not stopping to cry in my beer on to the next game. BEAT THE DUCKS! (or cook them up extra tasty…)

So apparently Chip Kelly pipes in “Tribute to Troy” during their practices. I guarantee that he is not piping in “Sons of Westwood” or “Bear Down, Arizona” because fuck them. We are Trojans and we are arrogant and we are all anybody else can think about because we are all there is.

Is it weird that I always bring out my old Duck Hunt game controller every time we play Boregon? ……and how arrogant of us to still somehow screw them in the standings with a loss. The only hope is Oregon State!…oh wait.

Bearfighter, classy recap. While I of course strongly prefer the USC fanbase against the annoying nouveau-riche (i.e. the Clampetts) of Oregon, it would be pretty much impossible for a Wildcat to pull for you guys next week based on a) we still have twisted, unrealistic (but mathematically possible) dreams of winning the South and b) we are not too enamored of T.J. McDonald and Dion Bailey (among others) right about now. Best of luck against the Golden Domers though.

God damn it, I needed to read this to remember that we are everything to everyone else no matter what happens.. Ill tell you something else, I was in Eugene last year & heard the dead silence when it was 34-17 & we were curb stomping these dudes. I did the no words fist bump to another Trojan fan while causally walking to get a dog at halftime when we were up by 3 TDs. I remember listening to their shitty pregame show on the way to the game where one guy called Marqise “Marcus”. Where they said our defense sucked, where they said “these arent your fathers Trojans anymore” I remember that shit like it was yesterday.

I was the guy you fist bumped. Ill never forget that night from start to finish…..from their taunts to their tears. Not only the win but it was that last game I went to with my best friend before he lost to cancer.

This team plays its best when its got nothing to lose. And well, now, they’ve got nothing to lose. Kiffin….open it the f—k up. No mercy. No managing games….seek and destroy. Marquis the Magnificent gave the rest of this team a lesson on who we are and what we do. So fired up for this run of games. Keep it going bearfighter, carry us to season’s end like #9 did for 4 quarters on Saturday.

If you ask me, this is one of the best positions to be in. Are we playing for the natty? No. Now (even though we’ve still got a shot at the Rose) we’re back to being (as you put it before) Darth Vader. We’re in the position to eff-up everybody else’s season. Knocking Oregon & ND out of the title chase is always a blast. There are no consequences anymore. Kiff can go balls crazy and let the chips (or Chip) fall where they may.

Bearhunter: I love your posts. I am a loyal Trojan, but I’m losing faith in Kiffin. I don’t like his clock management, play calling and lack of using field goals to put points on the board. I understand Trojan arrogance and I bask in its glow, but what I don’t like about Kiffin is how he ignored the hottest hand (Lee) during the entire third quarter, allows the Trojans to be #1 in penalties in the entire NCAA, and consistently calls bubble screens. The road to the Rose is not on the back of the bubble screen, it’s via an amazing running game with 3 backs that would start at any D-1 school and an aerial offense featuring the two best receivers in the NCAA complimented by tight ends that are the size of Andre the Giant. Seriously – Xavier Grimble will be the next Fred Davis if Kiffin would start calling his number more often.

Good coaching is not the reason why it’s good to have Kiffin there for at least the next two years. During the scholarship reductions you want the best effing recruiter you can get. Even if it means the team isn’t as hot on the field. Until we’re back up to full numbers it’s going to be a struggle. Getting rid of Kiff before the sanctions are over will extend that malaise another few years, probably til the end of the decade.

The long view. Remember it. And enjoy each game on its own terms. This from someone who went to USC during the Hackett years. It can get worse. It can get so much worse. Kiffin is John Robinson compared to that clown.

As has always been the case, the road to anything worthwhile leads through our house this weekend. I don’t know about you, but am going to be a MANIAC come Saturday. Thank you Bearfighter. Fight on Trojans.

Sorry. Believing you are a champion starts with playing like one. Penalties do matter. You hoots hold these in focused guys accountable. Champions don’t help the opponent win by committing penalties and turnovers. Read Woodys following quote – the pride/ arrogance had compromised his ability to think clearly – “@InsideUSC: USC WR Robert Woods said the Trojans commit so many penalties because they have too much pride.” Not a champion…

I can’t believe how freaked out people are over the Zona loss. I’m pretty sure Kiffin just did it to bring down ticket prices for this week’s game so all of the Duck fans could feel like douches for paying too much for tickets two months ago.

How safe do you think Mariota is going to feel sliding against a band of lunatics that don’t give a shit about quarterback safety? Duck and cover bro if you don’t feel like doing the concussion yak on national tv.

Last year wasn’t a fluke. Hell even the 2010 game was close for three quarters and SC had Kennard playing MLB and like 6 guys on the bench. The D is going to bring it like last year while Barkley, Woods and Marqise Shuttlesworth punk the Oregon DBs…again.